Experts: BB Guns Are Being Mistaken For Real Firearms, Prompting Police Response
WASHINGTON COUNTY (KDKA) -- City of Washington Police are warning parents about a dangerous game.
According to police, some kids have been riding around the area shooting at each other with BB guns that are easily be mistaken for real ones.
And consequently, these kids are being mistaken for real shooters.
Officers said they received a tip about a group of males waving a gun out of a moving vehicle.
They pulled up on them and found out it was a BB gun the kids were using to play "Assassin."
Jody Salerno, Owner, Elite Firearms Training told KDKA most BB guns bare a striking resemblance to the real ones.
She showed us an imitation glock marked with red tape as an example and said with a touch of paint the two can become even more identical.
"The cops, they're not going to know whether or not that's a real gun. They have a split second to decide. Not only the police officers but what about a conceal carry," Salerno said.
Dominic Ivol, Employee, Elite Firearms Training, said he used to play the game in high school for cash prizes using water guns.
"Your team would try to eliminate the other team, and once the other team is eliminated that team would get the pot of money," Ivol said.
But as he learned, most people don't play when it comes to guns, real or fake.
"There was a group of kids and an older gentleman came out with a shotgun and was like 'what are you doing?'" said Ivol.
And with people on edge during the recent rash of mass shootings across the U.S., gun experts are even more concerned about this game.
"Especially in this atmosphere right now with all of these mass shootings and school shootings this not the atmosphere you want people doing this type of thing," said Salerno.
Police are saying "Assassin" can cause very dangerous situations and are asking parents to tell their kids not to play.
